54.3 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Ex-Qualcomm Techies Helping to Develop Next-Gen Google Pixel

It can be hard to tell what all Google is doing at any given time and place, but at least part of its recent efforts in San Diego appear to be focused on developing a new version of the tech giant’s popular smartphone, the Pixel.

One person who worked for the Mountain View-based company, and another who has been briefed on the matter, said the company has recruited former Qualcomm employees to work on a technologically advanced phone at its offices in Sorrento Valley. One of the two said it was unclear exactly what the phone would be called, but that it was definitely a “next-generation”-type product.

Word of Pixel development in San Diego surfaced during a panel discussion hosted last fall by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., according to a person in attendance. The person said the company’s vice president of product management, Jason Bremner, told the audience Google is working locally on the Pixel 2.

Bremner’s LinkedIn profile online states that he has been working for Google in San Diego since September 2015. It says he is “working to create world-class mobile phones that showcase the best of Google.” It specifically mentions Pixel as one of his product responsibilities.

Both people who shared their knowledge about Google’s local work asked that their names not be published, as they were worried about facing repercussions for having spoken with news media on matters they were not authorized to discuss.

Google did not respond to requests for information about what projects it is working on in San Diego.

The Associated Press reported in January industry researchers have viewed the Pixel as a hot item since the product’s October launch. It cited an estimate by an unnamed analyst that at least 1 million of the phones were sold in the fourth quarter.

It may be that a new version of the product will be released within months. Websites including DroidReport.com have reported speculation that a new member of the Pixel line will be released for sale later this year.

Google has been working on at least two other projects locally since it entered the San Diego market with its 2014 acquisition of sensor technology company Lumedyne Technologies Inc. for a reported $85 million.

Lumedyne’s co-founders left Google last year, and since then, both have said they believe the company has halted efforts to develop, for consumer applications, a precise electronic gauge the U.S. Navy invented to measure changes in direction of movement.

Google was also working locally on Google Fiber, a high-speed Internet venture. But Reuters reported in October the division’s CEO had stepped down. Relying on statements by Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. analyst Noelle Dilts, Reuters also the executive’s departure was accompanied by a move to at least temporarily shelve the fiber initiative in 10 cities, including San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-